Service Questions with Dakota: Portable Crusher Electrical Troubleshooting

When running into issues with your crusher, you primarily look towards conveyors, belts, wear plates, and other larger components in your machine. But what about the electrical side of the machinery? As a Service Technician, you hear a lot of questions regarding machinery, so Eagle Crusher Service Technician Dakota will cover various portable crusher electrical troubleshooting options. As always, if you’re looking for more information regarding the electrical components in your machine, please refer to your owner’s manual. Always apply safety practices such as lock out / tag out and referring to licensed electricians when local/state/provincial/federal law requires.

When I energize the panel, nothing happens. Why?

We often get phone calls regarding this question, and the conversation usually starts the same every time, “Hi, I went to turn the panel on and when I did there was no lights or horns going off.”

This scenario’s answer is often as simple as a loose wire or a stuck relay contact on the back of an E-stop button or the back of an all-motor stop button. The control voltage must make it through the E-stops and all motor stops before any lights are illuminated or horns will sound. Sometimes debris such as dust builds up holding a normally closed (NC) contact open and creating an open circuit condition. All you need to do is clean the circuit and ensure the circuit is closed.

Why is my VFD faulting with an overcurrent fault on startup?

Most of the time, the answer is that the acceleration time is not long enough to get up to speed under load. The acceleration time should be set at 6 seconds to give it enough time to get up to speed without drawing excessive current causing the fault.

Why does the Controls Inc. panel on the diesel drive read “ECU Comms Lost”?

The code “ECU Comms Lost” is an E-stop condition. Check the E-stop buttons to make sure one is not pressed in or that the contact on the back of the e-stop button is not stuck in an open condition. The relay in the Controls Inc. panel can also trigger this code if it has failed.

Why is my return conveyor shutting off and everything after it?

This condition is often caused by a voltage drop, more specifically when the belts slip on the generator. When the belts slip, the RPMs decrease at the generator, causing a decrease in voltage output from the generator.

This could also occur if the return conveyor has a VFD and the VFD faults, stopping the conveyor and everything behind it. This is because the control panels are designed with an electromechanical interlock to ensure a correct operational sequence. If it is faulting, be sure to correct what is causing the fault, whether it be excessive build-up, something stuck in the tail pulley, or failing components putting strain on the motor.

Why am I not getting 480 VAC to the control panel?

This question is geared towards whether you have a generator on the plant rather than line power. If your control panel is connected to line power and you don’t have 480 VAC there is an issue with your line power.

For generator issues, the first thing you need to do is make sure the engine RPM is at least 1800. Some generators don’t have automatic voltage regulators (AVR’s), so the generator relies on that engine RPM to be at 1800. The generators with AVRs can be adjusted via the voltage dial to get it right at 480 VAC.

Another thing that could prevent you from having the correct voltage at the panel if your belts are loose and are slipping. If that is the cause, please refer to the previous question.

Knowing Where to Get the Information You Need for Portable Crusher Electrical Troubleshooting

The most important thing to know when it comes to rock crusher maintenance is where to find the information you need for your portable crusher electrical troubleshooting needs, and more. Not only do you have an owner’s manual with plant specific information, but as an Eagle Crusher user, you are part of a wide network of authorized dealers that are local and available to help you along your journey. Additionally, Eagle Crusher’s team of Service Technicians are available to answer any questions you may have that haven’t already been answered in previous Service Questions.